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Church's Chicken buys 23 Mrs. Winner's stores in Tenn., Ky.
August 25, 2009
Church's Chicken has begun expanding into Middle Tennessee and Southern Kentucky with the purchase of 23 locations from Mrs. Winner's Chicken & Biscuits. The company has already begun converting the locations to Church's Chicken stores.
"Our team has always admired this region's passion for chicken and community-minded culture, and that makes it an ideal area for Church's Chicken," said Jim Parrish, chief operations officer of Church's Chicken, in a news release. "We've been on the lookout for an opportunity to expand boldly in the Greater Nashville area, and we're delighted that the day is finally here."
The company, recently acquired by private equity firm Friedman Fleischer & Lowe LLC, has more than 1,650 restaurants in 33 states and 22 countries.
The new Church's Chicken stores — in Bowling Green, Ky., and Nashville, Cookeville, Goodlettsville, Hermitage, Murfreesboro and Smyrna, Tenn. — will adapt the chain's menu to include breakfast, which is traditionally a popular meal occasion in the Middle Tennessee market.
"At Church's, we don't take a one-size-fits-all approach to entering new markets," Gary Marstall, Church's zone director said. "As we prepare to open 23 locations in Middle Tennessee and Southern Kentucky, our support team in Atlanta and on the ground in Nashville has spent considerable time working to ensure that Church's delivers the products, value, and service our valued customers deserve, all tailored to the region and its tastes."
The first two Church's restaurants opened Aug. 20 in Nashville and in Bowling Green. Conversion of all 23 restaurants will be completed by the end of October.
Mrs. Winner's, part of Famous Recipes Co. Operations Inc. portfolio, has 110 locations, including 21 franchised locations, according to the company Web site. The Web site also states that Mrs. Winner's parent company will begin incorporating best practices from the brand and sister chain Lee's Famous Recipes Chicken as it makes The Famous Recipe Chicken concept the company's primary restaurant brand in the future.
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